Statistical card punch and verifier



Sept. 29, 1953 Filed Jan. 31, 1950 C. C. LEATHERMAN ET AL STATISTICALCARD PUNCH AND VERIFIER 8 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS. Ififlim and mud810mm Sept. 29, 1953 c. c. LEATHERMAN ETAL 2,653,665

STATISTICAL CARD PUNCH AND VERIFIER 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Filed Jan. 31,1950 INVENTORS. Mlliam lmzmm tflflhrd fleallmmn,

Sept. 29, 1953 c. c. LEATHERMAN ETAL. ,65

STATISTICAL CARD PUNCH AND VERIFIER Filed Jan. 51. 1950 s Sheets-Sheet sINVENTORS. lfllllam mm and lfii't'oni alvalmaman,

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Sept. 29, 1953 c. c. LEATHERMAN ETAL 2,653,665

STATISTICAL CARD PUNCH AND VERIFIER Filed Jan. 31, 1950 8 Sheets-Sheet 5IN VEN TORS. Ilflliam MW and 6217110111 dual'bezuan,

Sept. 29, 1953 c. c. LEATHERMAN ETAL 2,653,665

STATISTICAL CARD PUNCH AND VERIFIER Filed Jan. 31, 1950 8 Sheets-Sheet 6INVENTO lfllliazn Imanmsyana aifi'ozddltallam,

8 Sheets$heet '7 C. C. LEATHERMAN ETAL STATISTICAL CARD PUNCH ANDVERIFIER Sept. 29, 1953 Filed Jan. 31, 1950 IN VEN TORS- lloakenf'w and(Zlflanl d'llaama'm w WN Sept. 29, 1953 c. c. LEATHERMAN ETAL 2,653,665

STATISTICAL CARD PUNCH AND VERIFIER Filed Jan. 31, 1950 8 Sheets-Sheet 8iii i E @Ifififi 13 3 IN V EN TORS.

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Patented Sept. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT' OFFICE STATISTICAL CARDPUNCH AND VERIFIER Application January 31, 1950, Serial No. 141,428

11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in statistica1 card machines andhas particular reference to a skip mechanism for a combined punch andverifier.

Another and more specific feature is to coaxially dispose the punch andverifying elements one within the other in such manner as to enable theoperation of the verifying element independently of the punch whenverifying a record card.

Card punching machines are known wherein skip bars are utilized tocontrol the movement of the card carriage for the purpose ofautomatically skipping a number of card columns which may includepartial and entire fields of a record card, and the number of columns ofa card to be skipped is predetermined by the particular skip barinserted into the machine. In such machines, so far as known, should itbe desired to eliminate punching any one or more columns preceding thosewhich are under the automatic control of the skip bar, two methods areavailable. First, tab stops must be selectively placed in the machine ina time-consuming operation and when said stops are in position theircontrol of a column skipping operation is invariable until the positionsthereof are altered, and this condition eliminates the possibility,should it be so desired, of punching in a column or columns undercontrol of the tab stops unless the latter are re- :1:

moved. In the second method, no tab stops are employed and, in thisevent, in order to skip columns in which punching operations would beeffected under ordinary circumstances, it is necessary to operate thespace key of the machine once 1;.

for each of the columns preceding those that are under automatic controlof a skipbar.

In accordance with a feature of this invention, it is proposed toeliminate the'use of tab stops entirely and to avoid the necessity ofoperating .1

the space key a number of times equal to the number of columns in whichpunching is to be eliminated, by the provision of a skip mechanismincluding a skip key a single operation of which will produce anydesired skipping of more than one column preceding those which areautomatically skipped under the control of said mechanism.

Another feature of the invention resides in the use of a master or skipcard having perforations therein corresponding to the columns of arecord card to be punched, and wherein said master card is inserted intoa sensing unit therefor having pins that extend through the perforationsin said master card to set up an arrangement of the pins in which spaceswill be provided between groups thereof to designate columns of a recordcard to be skipped so that the presentation of any space to a pinsensing element of the skip mechanism will cause the latter to controlthe uninterrupted movement of the card carriage until said sensingelement encounters another pin, hereupon said carriage will be stoppedto permit punching operations to proceed.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety ofexpressions one of which, for purposes of illustration, is shown in theaccompanying drawings, but it is to be expressly understood that saiddrawings are employed merely to facilitate the description of theinvention as a whole and not to define the limits thereof, referencebeing had to the appended claims for this purpose.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a combined punch and verifierconstructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken substantially on theline 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 2a is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the mechanism shownin Fig. 2 and illustrating the operative position of one of the keyoperated actuators and some of its associated parts;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view with the cover of the machine broken away toshow the interior construction and illustrating the card carriage in itsextreme left hand position from which it is returnable to the startingposition thereof;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse sectionsubstantially on the line 44 of Figs. 3 and 8, illustrating the cardcarriage in full release position and showing a skip mechanism forming apart of the invention with the parts in the position after a skip cardhas been placed in said mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the skip mechanism, somewhatsimilar to that of Fig. 4, and illustrating the position assumed by aportion of said mechanism when inserting a skip card in operativeposition or withdrawing the same from the mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in section, of thesensing unit forming part of the skip mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a front elevation, partly broken away and shown in section, ofthe skip mechanism, looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary rear elevation of the machine, showinthe carriage escapement mechanism and control therefor, and with thecarriage in the position of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the escapement mechanismtaken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a transverse section on the line l0l 0 of Fig. 8, showing thecarriage drive and a hydraulic brake mechanism therefor;

Fig. 11 is a transverse section on the line I |l l of Fig. 10,illustrating a means for adjusting the tension of the drive spring; and

Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view of the control circuits of the machine.

The preferred embodiment of the machine is shown, generally, in Fig. las comprising a base 15 over which the main casing I6 is supported andprovided with an intermediate forwardly and downwardly inclined section[1 upon which is mounted the plate !8 having longitudinal guide stripsI9 between which a record card is disposed while being punched orverified. Said card, when in position, extends beneath a housing 2!!arranged transversely of the plate [8 and located directly above a rowof punches and verifying pins which are operated from beneath the card.This arrangement, including the inclination of the section I1, is suchthat the entire card, with the exception of that portion thereofdirectly beneath the housing 20, will be clearly visible to the operatorduring a punching or verifying operation. At the right of the base l5there is suitably supported an inclined keyboard 2| having a pluralityof keys 22 mounted thereon including the digital keys 0 to 9, a controlhole key X, and the space, release and skip keys for controlling variousoperations in the machine. A record card supply magazine 23 is formedfrom part of the main casing 16 and between said magazine and thekeyboard a space is provided for receiving a removable container 24located directly beneath the lower end of the inclined housing to.receive chips which are punched from the cards. Above the rear topsection 25 of the casing l6, a housing 25 encloses and is attached to amovable portion of an automatic skip mechanism, generally indicated at21 (Fig. 4), later to be described in detail, and said movable portionis secured to and actually forms part of the movable card carriagegenerally indicated at 28. Thus, by means of the finger piece 29attached to the casing 26, the portion 21 of the skip mechanism and thecard carriage may be moved longitudinally to the right from the positionshown in Fig. l to the starting position wherein the punches andverifying pins under the housing 20 will be in line with the firstcolumn of a new record card inserted between the guides 16 and theabutments 30 extending forwardly from the card carriage (Fig. 3) andwhich project through a slot 3! formed in the plate l6 for engagementwith the ends of the card to properly center and retain the same forpunching and verifying operations as the carriage is moved along, stepby step. A switch 32 mounted on one side of the casing I6 is utilized tocut in the electrical circuits of Fig. 12 when shifting control of themachine from punching to verifying operations, and vice versa.

Card carriage and its escapemcnt The card carriage 28 is composed of theupper and lower longitudinal rails 33 and 34 (Figs. 3, 4 and 8)connected by the transverse end pieces 35, and said rails carry thegrooved rollers 36 which engage and roll along the upper and lowerbeveled edges of the stationary guide plate 31.

The upper rail 33 has secured thereto the forwardly extending arms 38(Fig. 3) which carry the card abutments 30 and which extend through andare movable in the longitudinal slots 39 formed in a rear plate 40 thatsupports the guide plate 3! and also cooperates with the parallel frontplate 4| to support the punches and verifying pins to be hereinafterdescribed.

A portion of the bottom edge of the lower rail 34 (Fig. 8) is formedwith the teeth 42 constituting a part of the carriage escapement, and tothe rear face of said rail there is secured a plate 43 provided with arack 44 engaged by a spur gear 45. Said gear is driven from the springmotor, generally indicated at 46 and shown in detail in Fig. 10, toadvance the carriage in accordance with the operation of the variouskeys of the keyboard, and the advance of the carriage is controlled bythe escapement mechanism which includes the two pawls 47 and 48 thatalternately engage with the teeth 42 to control such advance. The pawl4'! .and the bell crank 49 to which it is fixedly connected arepivotally supported, intermediate their ends, on the stub shaft 56. anda spring 51 attached to one end of the bell crank normally maintains thelatter and said pawl in th position shown in Fig. 8. However, when thepawl 41 is either actuated by the punch solenoid 52 (Fig. 2) or the bellcrank 49 is rocked by the space solenoid 53 to which it is connected,said pawl will engage with one of the teeth 42. In either event, therocking of the bell crank 49, one end of which engages a pin 54 on thearm 55, causes the latter to be rocked counterclockwise with the resultthat its bent end 56 resting on the upper edge of the pawl 48 turns saidpawl about its pivot 5'. to disengage it from the tooth with which ithas been engaged while holding the carriage against advancement. Uponsuch disengagement, a spring 58 advances said pawl 46, which is looselymounted on its pivot, a slight distance sufficient for it to engage thenext succeeding tooth 42 when the pawl 41 is restored by thede-energization of the punch solenoid and consequent action of thespring 5 I, thus effecting a single step movement of the carriage.

When spacing, either during punching or verifying operations, the spacesolenoid 53 is controlled directly from the space key 59 (Figs. 1 and12) and upon energization of said solenoid, it rocks the bell crank 49and also the pawl 41 resulting, as previously described, in theadvancement of the carriage one step.

A full release of the carriage is accomplished by the operation ofrelease key 60 electrically connected directly to the release solenoid6| which, when energized, rocks the lever 62 (Figs. 8 and 9) to depressits free end that has the shoulder 63 formed thereon. A spring-biasedlatch 64 then acts to engage over said shoulder so that said lever 62will be held in a depressed position until the carriage is fullyreleased. Operation of said lever causes its end adjacent said shoulder63 to engage the extension 65 of an escapement control member in theform of the slide 66 and depress the latter. This slide is a part of theskip control and its lowermost extremity is bent laterally to form aprojection 61 that overlies and engages the bent end 56 of the pivotedarm 55 so that when the slide is depressed said arm will be rocked todisengage the pawl 48 from the teeth 42. Under control of the springmotor 46, the carriage now will move uninterruptedly to its full releaseposition. Depression of the slide 66 has other functions in relation tothe automatic skip mechanism 2'! to be later described. On reaching thefull release position of the carriage, a release member 68 (Fig. 8)adjustably secured to said carriage contacts the pivoted latch 64 todisengage it from the shoulder 63, thus permitting lever 62 of thesolenoid 6| to restore and also allowing the slide 66 to return to itsnormally raised position in a manner to appear in the description of theskip mechanism. It is here noted that the skip key 69 on the keyboard isalso directly connected electrically to the skip solenoid 10 so thatclosure of said key will energize said solenoid to rock its arm H, thefree end of which will then engage the extension 65 of the slide 66 tothereby depress the latter. Again, the slide 66 will effect release ofthe pawl 48 so that the carriage will move freely toward its releaseposition. However, in this skip operation, the carriage will advanceonly a predetermined distance under control of the skip mechanism 21.

As will more fully appear hereinafter, a single operation of the skipkey permits the carriage to move a card uninterruptedly past the punchesa distance equal to the width of any number of card columns when it maynot be desired to accomplish a punching or verifying operation in saidcolumns which, in the normal operation of the machine, could beeffected; and at the termination of said movement the skip mechanismwill automatically take over and advance the carriage in a similarmanner over one or more complete or partial fields of the card inaccordance with a predetermined set-up in said mechanism. In otherwords, it is possible with the present machine to advance the 'card morethan one column by a single operation of the skip key, and without theuse of tab stops, before the automatic skip mechanism assumes control ofthe carriage, as distinguished from known machines in which tap stopsmust be employed or the space key must be operated a number of timesequal to the number of columns to be skipped before the skip bar of theknown machine takes effect. Briefly, the initial skipping operationresponsive to the actuation of key 69 and consequent depression of theslide 65, results in the retention of said slide in its depressedposition by an operation of said automatic skip mechanism including thelatching lever 12 (Figs. 4 and 5) which, because of the depression ofsaid slide, assumes the dotted line position of Fig. 5 wherein itengages the upper end of plate 13 carried by said slide, and thusprevents the return of the latter to its normal position until the leveris restored by the automatic skip mechanism, as will hereinafter appear.Thereupon said mechanism assumes control of the carriage to move it adistance predetermined by the set-up in said mechanism.

Carriage drive As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the gear which moves thecarriage from its starting toward the release position thereof byengagement with the rack 44, is fixed on the rotatable shaft M thatextends through the sleeve 15 of the stationary housing 16 for the motor46. A spiral spring 1'! has its outer end secured to said housing andits inner end to the head 13 pinned to the inner end of the shaft 14 sothat each time the carriage is returned from the release to its startingposition the spring 1'! will be tensioned to thereafter advance thecarriage upon each oper- 6, ation of the escapement mechanism. Thehousing '16 is held stationary against a counterclockwise movement, asviewed in Fig. 11, by a pawl 19 engaging one of the spaced teeth 86formed in the outer surface of the housing, and the spring 11 is thusheld under tension. The tension of the spring may be regulated bydisengaging the pawl 19 from a tooth and then turning the housingclockwise or in an opposite direction depending upon whether the tensionis to be increased or decreased, after which said pawl is permitted toagain engage with one of the teeth 80.

The motor further comprises a hydraulic brak-- ing means which will havethe effect of retarding the speed of movement of the card carriage whenthe escapement mechanism is released. For this purpose, the head 18carries a braking element 8! in the form of a flanged disc that revolveswith said head and cooperates with the stationary closure 82 for thehousing Hi to form a space therebetween for receiving oil or otherfluid. Said space and the remainder of the housing is filled with aplugged opening 83 in the sleeve 15 and the fluid is allowed to flow inand fill the housing through ducts 84 formed in the shaft 14. Radialblades 85 formed in the rotatable element 8! and the stationary closure82 then cooperate with the body of oil in which they are immersed toretard the speed of rotation of said element and the shaft 14 to thedesired degree.

The punches and verifying pins and operating mechanism therefor The rearand front plates 40, 4! of the machine form a support for the punches 86and verifying pins 81, the constructions of which are best shown in Fig.4. A single row of these elements extends transversely between saidplates 40, 4| which carry the guide block 88 for said elements. Saidpunches cooperate with a die plate 89 to perforate a card as it isadvanced between said plate and the upper ends of the punches.

According to one of the features of the invention, each punch and itsassociated verifying pin are co-axially arranged with the pin extendingthrough the punch and having independent or relative movement withrespect to the latter during a verifying operation in which the punchremains in its normal or lower position and the pin is raised to eitherpass through a perforation in the record card being verified or engagethe under surface of said card. When a perforation is sensed, thecarriage escapement operates to advance the card to the next column tobe verified, but if the card is engaged by the pin, the escapement failsto operate and the operator of the machine thereby becomes aware of anincorrect punching.

Each punch element and its verifying pin have associated therewith anactuator bar 9i! (Figs. 2 and 2a) which, in both punching and verifyingoperations, has an initial longitudinal movement imparted thereto by thee-nergization of an individual solenoid 9! under control of one of thekeys 22, said movement being effected by a bell crank 92 interconnectingthe solenoid plunger with its bar. In a punching operation, thislongitudinal movement of the bar 90 is employed to energize the punchsolenoid 52, in a manner to later appear, which then controls mechanismto impart upward or secondary movement to said bar to transmit a similarmotion to the punch 86 whose lower enlarged end rests upon the upperedge of said bar and that of a guide plate 93 secured to said bar andforming a guide for the verifying pin 81. When punching, the initiallongitudinal movement of the bar 99 also results in the elevation of thepin 81 along with its punch but it is obvious that this operation of thepin has no effect since it will pass through the perforation in therecord card formed by the punch. When verifying, the initiallongitudinal movement of the bar 90 is the only actuation thereof thatoccurs since, in this instance, the punch solenoid 52 will not beenergized, and the only result of said movement of the bar will be toelevate the verifying pin independently and relative to its punch tosense whether or not a perforation has been made in the card beingverified at the index point corresponding to the operated key 22.

Returning to the punching operation and by particular reference to Figs.2, 2a and 3, it will be seen that the actuator bars 90 all extendthrough a comb 94 (Figs. 2 and 4) located just to the right of the guideplates 93 on said bars. The latter then project through a verticallyguided bail plate 95 common to the bars 99' and cut out to receive thsame, an edge of said plate being beveled at 95 to cooperate with thebeveled edge of a shoulder 91 on each of said guide plates 93 when saidbail plate is raised to elevate a punch. Said beveled edges alsocooperate, when engaged, to prevent return of an actuator bar 90 upondeenergization of its solenoid 9!. In the normal position of Fig. 2, thebeveled shoulders 91 on all the guide plates 5'3 are out of verticalalignment with the edge 95 of said bail plate so that any verticalmovement of the latter will have no effect upon a bar 90 and itsassociated punch 06, but when any one of the bars is advancedlongitudinally, to the position of Fig. 211, by the energization of itssolenoid 9I the two mentioned beveled edges will be brought intoalignment preparatory to the secondary or upward movement of said barunder the influence of the punch solenoid 52. The amount of movement ofthe bail plate 95, and consequently of the punches 86, may be regulatedby an adjustment of the set screws 98 which engage the lower edge ofsaid plate adjacent its ends, there being only one of such set screwsshown in the drawings.

With the switch 32 (Figs. 1 and 12) in the punching position, when oneof the keys 22 is struck its associated bar 90 is initially movedlongitudinally to the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, to turn the arm 99loosely mounted on the rock shaft I to the position of Fig. 2a. Inconnection with a verifying operation, this action of the arm 99 resultsin the elevation of th verifying pin along with its punch, as previouslymentioned and more fully described hereinafter. When the arm 99 isrocked, it actuates the common bail IOI on the shaft I02 by contact withthe cross piece of said bail and against the tension of its returnspring I93. The arm I04 of said bail IOI pivotally carries aspring-biased contact operating member I05 which, when the bail IOI isrocked, closes the punch contacts I09 to establish the operating circuit(Fig. 12) for the punch solenoid 52 which then energizes. Connected tothe core of said solenoid is an operatin arm I01 secured to the rockshaft I08 and having two branches I09 (see Fig. 3) the extremities ofwhich engage in openings formed in the bail plate 95. When the bar 90has been fully actuated, shoulder 91 of the guide 93 on said bar isaligned with the beveled edge 96 of the bail plate so that when the armI01 and shaft I08 are rocked to raise said bail plate it will impart thesecondary or upward movement to the bar 90. With the lower end of thepunch 86 resting upon the bar and its guide plate 93, as best shown inFig. 4, the punch will be elevated to form a perforation in the recordcard. The closure of the contacts I09 for energizing the punch solenoidis only of sufficient duration to permit the solenoid 52 to operate thebail plate 95, whereupon the rocking of the shaft I08 causes a trip armI I0 carried thereby to contact the member I05 and disengage it from thecontacts I06 to break the circuit for the punch solenoid. Rocking of theshaft I08 also swings the long arm I I I secured to and dependingtherefrom so as to cause its lower extremity contacting the adjacent endof the pawl 41 of the escapement mechanism to rock said pawl to engageit with a tooth 42 and thereby initiate the operation of said escapementwhich results in the advancement of the card carriage, as previouslydescribed. After the record card has been perforated by the operatedpunch and with the solenoid 52 deenergized, the operating arm I01 isrestored to normal position by the springs II2 connected to the branchesI09 of said arm, only one of said springs being shown in Fig. 2. Thereturn of the arm I01 to normal also restores the bail plate 95 and thearm I I I. The bail 95 carries a flange H3 engageable with the enlargedlower ends of all of the punches 86 so as to return any operated punchto its normal position. Since the energized key solenoid 9I is nowde-energized by release of the key 22 which has been struck, theassociated bar 90 is returned to normal by its individual spring H4connected to the guide plate 93 of said bar, and the arm 99 is alsorestored. This latter restoration permits the spring I03 to return thebail IOI to normal and the punching operation is thus completed.

With the punches 86 operating upwardly through the record cards,provision is made for discharging the chips out of said cards from theupper surface of the punch die 89 (Fig. 4). To accomplish this purpose,the housing 20 encloses a reciprocatory agitator II5 havinglongitudinally spaced blades I I6 depending therefrom into proximitywith said punch die to agitate and cause the chips above the latter tomove downwardly toward the discharge end of the housing 20 where theywill be deposited into the receptacle 24. To operate the agitator II5,the same is provided with a depending arm II1 engaged with the teeth ofa rack IIS secured to the upper rail 33 of the card carriage so that asthe latter moves said rack will force the agitator to the right,whereupon it is returned by the coil spring II9 one end of which isfixed to the housing 20 and the other end to said agitator. Thisoperation of discharging the chips is particularly effective when, thecard carriage is moved uninterruptedly to its full release positionduring which the agitator is continuously reciprocated, or when saidcarriage is returned to its starting position after completion of thepunching of a card.

When verifying a record card which has been punched. the switch 32 ismoved to the dotted line position of Fig. 12, thus disconnecting thepunch solenoid 52 from the operating circuit. Striking of one of thekeys 22 operates the associated actuator bar 90 with the same result aspreviously described except that closure of the punch contacts I06 hasno effect because of the position of the switch 32 and therefore thepunch solenoid will not be energized, and with the further result 9 thatthe bar 90 has only its initial longitudinal movement imparted thereto.Operation of the arm 99 by its bar 90 swings an extension I20 (Fig. 2a)of said arm upwardly to free another arm I2I pivoted on the shaft I forupward movement and this latter movement is accomplished by a spring I22connecting said arm I2I with the arm 99. Said arm MI is connected to thelower end of the verifying pin 81 which is now raised independently ofits associated punch to sense for a perforation in the card beingverified. If there is a perforation in the card, the upper end of thepin will pass therethrough and the parts will assume the position ofFig. 2a in which the arm I2I will have elevated a restoring bail I23common to all said arms. Said bail is secured to the shaft I 90 and, bybeing elevated, will rock the shaft and thus produce a swinging movementof the depending arm I24 also secured to said shaft and this movement,which is against the action of the return spring I25, will be sufficientto close the space contacts I26 for the space solenoid 53 which thenenergizes. Solenoid 53 now operates the bell crank 49 to initiate theoperation of the escapement mechanism as previously described. Shouldthe verifying pin contact a record card instead of passing through aperforation therein, the upward movement of said pin will be stopped, aswill be the similar movement of the arm I2I and the restoring bail I23and, therefore, the swinging movement of the arm I24 will beinsuflicient to close the space contacts I26 with the result that theescapement mechanism wi not be operated to advance the card carriage.

Continued movement of the arm 99 after the pin 3? engages a card, willthen be against the tension of the spring I22 and the extension I ofsaid arm will disengage itself from the arm I2I. At the conclusion ofthe upstroke of the verifying pin, either in the event that it passesthrough a perforation or contacts a card, the actuator bar 90 restoresso as to return the arm 99 to its normal position and re-engage theextension I20 with the arm I2I. At the same time, the spring I25connected to the arm I24 then restores the latter to normal and, in sodoing, rocks the shaft I00 to depress the bail I23 to return the arm INto its lower position and thereby similarly restore the verifying pin.

Skip mechanism This mechanism, as will be understood from the abovedescription, controls the automatic and continuous movement of the cardcarriage 28 together with a record card over a distance equal to thecombined width of a plurality of columns of the card, and then stops thecarriage in position wherein the next card. column to be punched orverified is in alignment with the punches 85 and the pins 81.

The mechanism, broadly, comprises a movable section which has beenindicated at 21 and which is supported by the carriage 28, and astationary section, generally indicated at I2! in Figs. 4, 5 and 8,supported by the guide plate 31 for the card carriage, and of which theslide 66, previously described, forms a part.

The movable section 21, in the main, is enclosed within the housing 26(Fig. l) which is not shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and comprises a mountingblock I28 bolted to the upper rail 33 of the carriage 28. An angle plateI29 is aifixed. to the block I28 and its lower portion I30 oombines withthe card-supporting plate I3I to form a throat for receiving thepre-punched master card I32 indicated in dotted lines, said card beingshown in its operative position in Fig. 4, and in the act of insertionor withdrawal in Fig. 5, with elements of the sensing unit, generallyindicated at I33, in releasing or inoperative position. Plate iSI iscarried by a base member and a guide plate I35 combines with the portionI39 and the plate I3I to form a space for receiving the master card.Said card is provided with a single row of perforations punched thereinin predetermined and spaced groups with the perforations representingcolumns of a card to be punched and the spacing between said groupsindicating the distance the punch card Will be moved under control ofthe skip mechanism.

The master card sensing unit I33 is mounted upon the angle plate I29 andcomprises a fixed section and a movable section, the latter beingmovable to the position of Fig. 5 to permit of the insertion of the cardI32 into operative position with respect to the sensing unit, whereuponthe unit is restored to the position of Fig. 4 in a manner to laterappear to allow the advancement of the spring urged sensing pins I36 ofthe unit into sensing position relative to the card I32. The adjustmentof the unit to the position of Fig. 5 also accomplishes the retractionof the pins I36 to the inoperative position shown in said Figure When itis desired to withdraw the master card from the unit and replace it withanother differently punched card.

The stationary section of the sensing unit comprises the upper fixedcombs I31 and I38 which cooperate to guide the inner or upper ends ofthe pins I36, said comb I31 being riveted at I39 to the rear face of theangle plate I29, and the comb I38 having enlargements I40 at its endsthat are secured at I4I to said plate.

The movable section of said sensing unit consists, basically, of twoparts. One is a slidable pin-actuating plate I42 backed against the rearface of plate I29 and guided in its movement relative thereto by studsI43 (see Fig. 6) carried by the latter plate and engaged in slots I44 atthe ends of plate I42. Said ends have the lateral flanged extensions I45in the flange of each of which is formed a slot I46 which isinstrumental in raising the plate I42 to the position of Fig. 5, as willmore fully appear. The lower longitudinal edge of the actuating plateI42 has a flange I 41 which engages under a stop I48 on each of the pinsI36, said flange acting, when the plate I42 is raised, to retract saidpins to the inoperative position of Fig. 5 where they will be withdrawnfrom any contact with the master card I32 or from any perforations insaid card. Said flange I41 also limits the downward movement tooperative position of the pins I36 when the plate I42 is lowered.

The other part of said movable section of the sensing unit comprises arockable frame having the end pieces I49 provided with trunnions I50that have a bearing in the block I5I secured to the stationary angleplate I29 to thus form a pivot about which the frame is rocked. The endpieces I49 have flanges I52 connected by a cross bar I53 (Figs. 3, 4 and5) upon which is secured a finger contact member I54 Whereon pressure isexerted by the operator of the machine to rock the frame from theposition of Fig. 4 to that of Fig. 5. Studs I55 projecting inwardly fromthe end pieces I49 engage in the slots I46 in the extensions I45 of theplate I42 and are the instruments by means of which said plate is raisedto the position of Fig. when the member I54 is depressed. This slidingmovement of the plate I42 is against the tension of the restoringsprings I56, each connected at one end to one of the studs I43 and atits other end to the adjacent extension I45 of said plate and acting torestore the latter to the position of Fig. 4 when pressure upon themember I54 is removed. The restoration of the plate I42 under theinfluence of the springs I56 also accomplishes, through the studs I55,the return of the rockable frame to its position of Fig. 4.

Cooperating with the plate I42 whose flange I41 engages the undersurfaceof the stops I48 of pins I36, is a flanged pin-locking bar I51 formingpart of the movable section of the sensing unit and the flange I58 ofwhich engages the upper surfaces of said stops when the unit is in theposition of Fig. 4 to thus prevent any upward movement of said pinsduring the operation of the machine. Said bar I51 is provided at itsends with lateral flanges I59 secured to thearms I60 of the end piecesI49 so that the bar will rock with the movable frame of the sensing unitto the position of Fig. 5 and thus permit plate I42 and its flange I41to raise the sensing pins to their inoperative positions.

Assuming the operator is ready for the insertion of amaster card I32into the skip mechanism, the member I54 is depressed to cause the partsto assume the position of Fig. 5 with all the pins I36 retracted. Saidcard is then placed in position with its inner or lower edge contactingthe stop I6I which aligns the row of perforations in the card with thesensing pins i36, whereupon pressure is removed from the member I54 andthe springs I56become efiective to slide the plate I42 to the positionof Fig. 4, and also restore the rockable frame :to i said position.During this restoration, the pins I36 are urged downwardly by theirsprings, and thosepins which are aligned with perforations will passthrough the same and project to operative position below the plate I3I,while the other pins will have their downward movement arrested by thecard I32. Upon complete restoration of the rockable frame,-the flange ofthe lock bar I51 engages over the stops I48 of the operative pins andprevents any recession thereof due to upward pressure on their lowerextremities. The operative pins now present a patternwhich may be bestobserved in Fig. '1 wherein said pins will be formed in. groups withspaces therebetween where other .pins were stopped from movement tooperative position by contact with the card I32. These. spaces .betweenoperative groups of pins are. indicative of the columns of the recordcard to be skippedwhen the skip mechanism becomes effective, whichoccurs when a sensing member I62 of thestationary section I21, overwhichmember the pins I36 pass with the movable section 21, enters one of saidspaces.

The stationary section I21 of theskipmechanism comprises the spacedplates I63.and I64, the former being directly secured to. the guideplate 31' and the plate I64 providing the mounting for the slide 66. TheplateI63a-is formed along one vertical edge thereof withan outstandingbracket I65 which supports, among other elements of the section I21, thelatching lever 12 pivoted on said bracket and briefly referred to inconnection with the operation of the-skip key 69. Before proceedingfurther with the description of parts, it will'be well tobear mrmmd thedifferent positions" of the lever-'12, as: shown in full and dottedlines "in'Figs; 4'and 5 under tive pins.

varying conditions of operation. In Fig. 4, the dotted line positionalongside plate 13 is the one assumed by said lever during thestep-by-step movement of the card carriage 26 as punching or verifyingoperations proceed from column to column of the record card; and thefull line position of said lever is that assumed in the full releaseposition of the card carriage wherein the upper end of said leverengages the trip I66 fixed on the upper rail 33 of said carriage, whichtrip is utilized to release the slide 66 in the event that a skipoperation causes thecard carriage to move continuously to said fullrelease position. In Fig. 5, the dotted line position of the lever 12 isassumed as the slide 66 is depressed by the operation of the skip key 69when a number of columns of a record card are to be skipped instead ofpunched or verified; and the full line position of said lever is that towhich it is moved when the sensing element I62 enters a space betweentwo groups of pins I36 to thereby automatically initiate the operationof the skip mechanism without depression of the skip key 69.

The sensing element I62 turns about a hub I66 and has a tapered head I61which is constantly urged into engagement with the lower ends ofoperative pins I36 by a spring I68 connecting the lower arm I69 of saidelement with the outer reduced extremity of the bracket I65, and thelower end of said ar-m I69 is joined to the lever 12 by a link I10 and aslotted connection I1I which permits of a limited movement of theelement I62 relative to said lever. The tapered head I61 of the sensingelement is of suflicient width to straddle the space between adjacent orsuccessive operative pins I36 so that said pins will prevent entranceinto the spaces therebetween as the carriage is moved along. Alsomounted on the hub I66 is a slide-actuating lever I12 the end of theupper arm of which is engaged in a recess formed in the upper end of theslide 66', while the lower curved extremity of said lever is providedwith an adjustable set screw I 13 that abuts the arm I69 and is heldthereagainst by a spring I14 so that when the element I62,'of which saidarm forms a part, senses a space formed by inoperative pins I36, thehead I61 of said element enters said space under the control of thespring I68. Themovement of the element I62 occasioned by the entrance ofits head I61 into a spacewill be transmitted through its arm I69 to thelever I12 to rock the latter and thus depress the slide 66 so that theparts will assume the position of Fig. 5, with the lever 12 in its fullline position since, under thecondition described, said lever is notrequired to latch said slide in its depressed position, this beingaccomplished solely by the lever I12 as long as the sensing head I61remains in the space between opera- Depression of the slide 66 initiatesthe operation of the carriage escapement mechanism and, with said slideheld down by the lever I12, the carriage moves uninterruptedly until thehead I61 again engages an operative pin I36 and is forced thereby out ofthe space, whereupon the parts again assume the position of Fig. 4 withthe lever I12v being rocked counterclockwise by the spring I14connecting it to the arm I69 to thus elevate slide 66 and permit thepawl 48 of the escapement-to reengage a tooth 42 and bringthe cardcarriage to a stop.

Let it be assumed that a punching or verifying operation is proceedingin a normal manner and that-it is now desiredto'skip-one or moreoperative-pins I36 or, in other words, skip the columns 'of the sensingelement 13 of the record card identified by such pins. From theforegoing, it will be apparent that a single operation of the skip key69 will cause the solenoid 10 to depress the slide 66 and when thisoccurs the lever I2, will, under the influence of the spring I15interposed between said lever and the arm I69, be shifted from thedotted line position of Fig. 4 to that of Fig. 5 where it will engagethe upper end of the plate I3 on said slide and thus latch the latteragainst upward movement. Depression of the said slide also rocks leverI72 clockwise and relative to the arm I69 to move the set screw I13 fromabutting relation with said arm. Said shifting of the lever 12 into itslatching position is relative to the arm I69 by reason of the link andslot connection I10,

-IlI, and the lever 12 remains in this shifted position with the cardcarriage now moving continuously until the group of operative pins I36representing those columns being skipped under control of the skip keypass over the head I67 I62. Said head then enters a space between saidpin group and the next succeeding group of operative pins and the actionpreviously described takes places, with the arm I69 moving outwardly tore-engage the set screw I72 before the lever I2 is withdrawn from itslatching position to the full line position of Fig. 5 by the link I10,this delayed withdrawal of the lever 12 being due to the slottedconnection I'II. Thus, the slide 66 will be retained in its depressedposition and the card carriage will continue to move uninterruptedly andsaid slide will remain depressed until the sensing head I61 againengages the first operative pin I36 of a succeeding group whereupon thecard carriage will be stopped to present the record card columncorresponding to said first pin for a punching or verifying operation.

What is claimed is:

1. In a combined punch and verifier, a movable card carriage and asupport therefor, an escapement for said carriage having a releaseposition wherein said carriage is free to move continuously, a skipmechanism comprising a movable section secured to said carriage and astationary section carried by said support, said movable sectioncomprising a perforated skip card sensing unit and a supporting membertherefor, said unit comprising a plurality of pins for sensingperforations in said skip card by projecting through said perforationsto form spaced groups of column identifying elements, guide elements forsaid pins carried by said supporting member, a pin actuating platemovable on said supporting member and operable to retract said pins fromsensing position, a movable section for said sensing unit pivoted onsaid supporting member and having operative connection with said pinactuating plate to operate the same to retract said pins when saidsection is moved from operative to release position, and further havingmeans to retain such pins in sensing position when said section is inoperative. position, a slide forming part of the stationary section ofsaid skip mechanism and operable to adjust said escapement to itsrelease position, a sensing element also forming part of the stationarysection of said skip mechanism and engageable with those sensing pinswhich project through perforations in said skip card, means to move saidsensing element into a space between adjacent groups of said sensingpins, means actuated by the last named means and connected to said slidefor operating the latter, means operable independently of said sensingelement and while 14 it is engaged with said sensing pins to alsooperate said slide, and a latch member then operable to engage andretain said slide in its operated position.

2. In a combined punch and verifier, a movable card carriage, anescapement therefor having a release position, a control member for saidescapement adjustable to and from a position in which it releases saidescapement, a skip mechanism comprising a stationary section and amovable section, the latter bein secured to said carriage and includinga plurality of pins having operative and inoperative positions, aperforated skip card whose perforations are penetrated by certain ofsaid pins for movement to operative position while the remaining pinsare maintained in inoperative position by engagement with said card toform a pattern of spaced groups of operative pins, a sensing elementcarried by said stationary section for movement into a space betweenadjacent groups of said pins, an element movably carried by saidstationary section for sensing said pins, said element being movableinto a space between adjacent groups of pins and being also movable outof said space by contact with a pin of one of said groups, and anoperative connection between said sensin element and said control memberfor adjusting the latter when said element moves into and out of saidspace.

3. In a combined punch and verifier, a movable carriage, an escapementtherefor having a release position, a skip mechanism comprisingstationary and movable sections the latter of which is support-ed onsaid carriage, a perforated skip card insertable into said movablesection, sensing pins in said movable section certain of which aremovable to operative positions through the perforations in said skipcard which obstructs said movement by others of said pins whereby toform a pattern of spaced groups of operative pins, a sensing elementpivoted on said stationarysection of said skip mechanism for engagementwith said operative pins and for movement into and out of the spacesbetween groups thereof, a slide mounted on said stationary section andoperaitively connected to said escapement for adjusting the same torelease position, and means controlled by said sensin element when itmoves into one of said spaces for adjusting said slide.

4. A combined unch and verifier in accordance with claim 3, wherein saidsensing element thereafter, and upon further movement of said carriage,contacts an operative pin and is moved thereby out of said space, andmeans thereupon operable to restore the last named means and said slide.

5. In a combined punch and verifier, a carriage formoving a record cardcolumn by column to punching or verifying position, an escapement forsaid carriage controlling its movement and having a release position, acontrol member operable to adjust said escapement to said position, askip card sensing unit movable with said carriage and including aplurality of spring urged sensing pins one for each column of saidrecord card and having operative and inoperative positions, a skip cardmounted in said unit for engagement by said pins to prevent certain ofthem from assuming an operative position and having perforations throughwhich others of said pins extend to operative position to form a patternof spaced groups of operative pins, means to sense a space betweenadjacent groups of pins, and means actuated by said sensing pins uponsensing said space for operating said control member.

6. A combinedpunch and verifier according to claim 5, a skip key,,meanscontrolled by said key for operating said control member meansto latchsaid control member in operative position when actuated by saidcontrolled means, and means controlled by said sensing means when itsenses said space to render said latching means inefiective.

'Z...In a combined punch andverifier, a carriage for moving arecord cardcolumn by column to punching or verifying position, a carriageescapement and a control member therefor, a skip key, means responsiveto a single operation of said key to operate said control member torelease said escapement for a time suflicient for the carriage touninterruptedly move a plurality of card columns past said punching orverifying position, means to retain said control member operative whilethe carriage is moving, means other than said responsive means to whichoperation of said control member is transferred from saidretainingmeans, and means to render said other means effective after saidcarriage has been so moved.

8. In a combined punch and verifier, a card carriage movable step bystep during punching or verifying operations, an escapement for saidcarriage having a release position in which the same will havecontinuous movement, a skip mechanism movable with said carriage andcomprising a plurality of sensing pins having operative and inoperativepositions, means in association with said pins and sensed thereby toform a pattern consisting of spaced groups of operative pins, a sensingelement contacting said operative pins during the step by step movementofsaid carriage and movable into a space between groups thereof, meansto adjust said escapement to its release position, a skip key, meanscontrolled by a single operation of said key while said sensing elementis contacting said pins to operate said escapement adjusting means, andmeans thereafter operated by said sensing element upon entry thereofinto said space to maintain said adjusting means in itsv operatedposition without interruption in the continuous movement of saidcarriage produced by the operation of said skip key.

9. In a combined punch and verifier, a carriage for moving a record cardcolumn by column to punching or verifying position, an escapementcontrolling the movement of said carriage and having a release positionin which said carriage moves continuously, a control member operable toadjust said escapement to release position, means to retain said memberin operative position, a skip key, means responsive to a singleoperation of said key to render operative said escapement control memberand its retaining means to thereby retain said escapement in its releaseposition while the carriage is continuously moving columns of saidrecord card past said punching or verifying position, and a skipmechanism operable upon passage of thelast of said columns beyond saidpunching or verifying position to continue, without interruption, therelease position of said escapementfor a predetermined interval, saidskip mechanism including an operating element for said control member towhich control of the latter member is transferred fromsaid retainingmeans.

10. In a combined punch and verifier, a movable card, carriage, anescapement therefor, having, a release position, a perforated skip:-card sensingunit comprising a-plurality of pins movable throughperforations in a skip card to form spaced groups, a supporting memberfor said unit, guide elements for said pins; carried by said supportingmember, a pin actuating plate movable on said-supporting member andoperable to retract said pins from their group forming position; amovable section for said sensing unit pivoted, on said Supporting memberand having operative connection with said pin actuating plate to operatethe same to retract said pins when said-section is moved to oneposition, and further having means to retain said pins in group formingposition when said section is moved to another position, a, sensingelement for said pins movable into a space between adjacent groupsthereof as said carriageis moved, andmeans operated by said sensingelement when it moves into said space for releasing said escapement.

11. In a combined punch and verifier, a movable card carriage, anescapement therefor having a release position,-a skip card sensing unitmounted on said carriage and comprising a supporting member and amovablesection carried thereby, a plurality ofpins having operative'positionsto which they are movable through perforations in a skip card to formspaced groups,-means on said movable section operable when the latter isin one position to retainsaid pins in operative position andmovable-with said section to release said pins, pin retracting meansoperatively connected to said movable section for withdrawing said pinsfrom their operative position when said section is moved to anotherposition, means to sense a space between adjacent groups of operativepins, and means controlled by said sensing means to release saidescapement.

CLIFFORD C. LEATHERMAN. WILLIAM WOCKENFUSS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,300,491 Schaaf Apr. 15, 1919 1,668,011 Friedmann May 1, 19281,921,408 Gutgesell Aug. 8, 1933 1,925,623 Bernard et al Sept. 5, 19331,962,750 Read June 12, 1934 1,989,844 Bryce Feb. 5, 1935 2,046,082Mills June 30, 1936 2,217,209 Von Pein et a1. Oct. 8, 1940 2,365,189Grady Dec. 19, 1944

